Garden State Skate skateshop check-out

Shop Name: Atlantic Skate & Surf
Founded: August 2008
Owners Name: John Denvir
Address and Phone:
80 First Avenue, Atlantic Highlands NJ, 07716
http://atlanticskateandsurf.com
(732) 291-1339
Shop hours:
Tuesday through Thursday 12-6
Fri & Sat 12-7 Sunday 12-4
We have extended hours in the summer.
How’s the shop doing?
Well, despite this crap economy we’re actually doing pretty good. We have a nice core clientele that seems to be growing all the time. We opened on a shoe string budget but have been able to fill the store and offer a wide assortment of skate necessities. We started selling skate shoes last spring and will be expanding the selection in the coming months.
Who is your typical customer?
Definitely teenagers. They are our biggest customers, but we have people of all ages coming in and shopping.
Are there any skate parks near your shop?
We have a skate park about 200 feet from the shop: Atlantic Highlands Harbor Skate Park on First Ave. It’s a pretty fun set up and the scene is real chill. Skaters of all levels skate this spot without any hassle––except the fact that every time I skate there I get challenged to a game of s.k.a.t.e. by a random 13 year old, that’s a bit of a hassle. We also have 3 other skate parks within a couple of miles of us.
Who are your shop team riders?
Jedediah Callinan 17, Ryan Chaney 14, Blake Finlayson 12. All three absolutely rip. We are looking for more team riders so anyone interested can stop in the shop and drop off a sponsor me video.

What’s the best part of running a skate shop?
You mean besides being able to snag gear for myself? I guess talking with all the customers, getting to know everyone and being able to support the skate scene. Growing up skating Jersey in the 80’s, there were not a lot of contests near me. So now I have fun planning and seeing to fruition our skate contests. It’s a lot work and money but everyone involved has a blast. Oh yeah, and as part of a fact finding mission recently I got to skate the 2nd largest skate park in the world in Grand Cayman Island. Two words on that...Hot and Sick!
How does your shop offerings differ from the typical skate shop? I’m not sure what typical is, but we’re definitely a pretty layed-back shop. I’ve been to a lot of shops over the years where you catch attitude as soon as you walk in the door. That’s not us. If you want to come chill on the couch in our shop and watch a video or play a video game with a couple of friends, then this is the spot. Other than that I try to support and promote local Jersey companies and hope to see more local merchandise come in as we grow.

Do you do any special events like video premieres, signings or demos? We usually have a handful of contests each year. The one we will continue to do each year for sure is the Annual Atlantic Sweep & Skate. We team up with Jersey-based Instinct Skateboards for that one. They are a huge reason why the event has been so successful. We all clean up First Ave. and around the skate park, then come back to the park for a contest. And of course at the end we make it rain with stickers, videos, shirts, etc. and the kids go nuts. We also host guerrilla style contests in between at the small local skate parks in the area. This summer we’re hoping to team up with the town and offer lessons for the beginner skater.
Do you have any future events coming up? The end of April we will be having a deck release party for my two new shop decks. This June we will be hosting our 3rd Annual Sweep & Skate contest along with Instinct Skateboards. We will post the official dates on our website, www.atlanticskateandsurf.com, Facebook and Myspace.
From your point of view, where is skateboarding going? Outerspace & underwater. I’m working on both, but I’m running into complications with the whole zero gravity thing, as well as the absorbent properties of maple.
Any thanks you would like to give? All our customers of course, we wouldn’t be here with out them. I would also like to thank Mike from Instinct Skateboards for all of his and the company’s support. Jersey based Ted Shreds. A big thanks to Matt & Kerry, for all your help getting the shop open and all the artistic work. Last but not least, all of my family and friends for helping out. It was and still is appreciated! And thanks to you guys for starting a great local magazine and supporting Jersey’s skate scene.